burial

noun

buri·​al ˈber-ē-əl How to pronounce burial (audio)
ˈbe-rē-
also ˈbər-ē-
Synonyms of burialnext
often attributive
1
: grave, tomb
2
: the act or process of burying

Synonyms of burial

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of burial in a Sentence

They prepared the body for burial. She wanted to give him a proper burial. Did you attend the burial? The law prohibits the burial of toxic substances without special permits.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Essentially, both cremation and coffin-burial practices are pretty bad for the environment. — New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026 Here’s hoping the group has a few more honorary Halloween carrols up their decrepit, burial shroud-like sleeves. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 The risk of transmission also limits contact with the patients even after death, depriving families of closure and the opportunity to observe their preferred burial rites. — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 The Fresno County Code also does not provide specific instructions for backyard pet burials, so pet owners should contact county or city officials to confirm any possible restrictions. — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for burial

Word History

Etymology

Middle English beriel, berial, back-formation from beriels (taken as a plural), from Old English byrgels; akin to Old Saxon burgisli tomb, Old English byrgan to bury — more at bury

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of burial was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing burial

Rhymes for burial

See All Rhymes for burial

Browse Nearby Words

buri
burial
burial case
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Burial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burial. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

burial

noun
buri·​al ˈber-ē-əl How to pronounce burial (audio)
: the act of burying

More from Merriam-Webster on burial

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about burial

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All